Adames Elevated to No. 1 The previous #1, Janibek Alimkhnuly, was removed due to his positive test for a banned substance last month in a VADA test on November 15, 2025. The Ring’s new updated list has some good and some bad. The first two spots are positive, as they make the most sense. Carlos Adames Yoenli Hernandez Erislandy Lara…

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IBF and WBO middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhnuly has tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance ahead of a three-belt unification fight against WBA champion Erislandy Lara this Saturday. Lara Fight on the Brink With the positive test by the 32-year-old Janibek (17-0, 12 KOs), his fight against Lara (31-3-3, 19 KOs) is on shaky ground and could be canceled. The two were scheduled to fight in the co-feature slot on the Isaac 'Pitbull' Cruz vs.

Terence Crawford’s long-planned move to middleweight absorbed a hammer blow this week after unified champion Janibek Alimkhanuly failed a VADA anti-doping test. The scenario instantly collapsed the three-belt scenario Crawford had been quietly tracking for early 2025, leaving him facing a potential vacant-title route after Canelo’s expected May rematch. Instead of the high-stakes unification that would have crowned a clear middleweight leader and provided Crawford with the champion he needed, the WBA Middleweight World Champion Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara will now defend his belt against heavy-handed Venezuelan Johan Gonzalez on a reshuffled PBC Pay-Per-View event live on Prime Video from the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. The fallout is simple: Crawford loses the perfect entry point, the division loses its clarity, and what should have been a decisive weekend for 160 becomes damage limitation. Lara Salvages the Event — But Crawford Loses the Route Lara (31-3-3, 19 KOs) was initially scheduled to face Janibek in a rare champion-vs-champion crossroads. The winner would have emerged with three belts and full leverage — the exact opponent Crawford had positioned himself to face next. Janibek’s positive test knocked the first domino, freezing Crawford’s middleweight timeline and forcing him into a far less meaningful path — one that now hinges on how the WBA navigates the fallout and Canelo’s May 168-pound rematch, further delaying any crossover opportunities. Adding insult to injury, the WBC stripped Crawford of his super-middleweight world title for unpaid sanctioning fees, removing another potential fallback route. The WBC has already ordered Hamzah Sheeraz to face Christian Mbilli for the now-vacant belt, with Lester Martinez lined up as the mandatory challenger, making Crawford’s route to any immediate championship even more complicated. Lara remains in sharp form after stopping former two-division champion Danny Garcia in 2024, having first captured the WBA belt with a one-round demolition of Thomas LaManna before KO victories over Gary O’Sullivan and Michael Zerafa. He was meant to be the final exam before Crawford entered the division. Now, the narrative has stalled, and the belt picture risks fracturing entirely. The Replacement: Dangerous, Not Defining Johan Gonzalez (36-4, 33 KOs) steps in on short notice following his upset over former unified champion Jarrett Hurd in March. He brings power but not the profile, prestige, or political weight Crawford required. His inconsistent form — including losses to Yoenis Tellez and Jesus Ramos — reinforces that the 160-pound storyline has shifted from unification to simple survival. The PPV Line-Up Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz vs. Lamont Roach – Interim WBC Super Lightweight Title Stephen Fulton Jr. vs. O’Shaquie Foster – Co-main event Jesus “Mono” Ramos Jr. vs. Shane Mosley Jr. – Interim WBC Middleweight Title opener Erislandy Lara vs. Johan Gonzalez – WBA Middleweight Title The event begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, with tickets available via Ticketmaster. The Real Story: Crawford’s Path Resets Crawford’s entry into middleweight was meant to begin with a unified champion, not a vacancy. With the unification gone, the Canelo timetable locked until summer, and the WBA now reshuffling the deck, Crawford’s most realistic next step is a vacant-title opportunity or a delayed shot at the Lara–Gonzalez winner if the sanctioning order remains intact. The storyline of Crawford stepping into a three-belt fight has vanished — and that is the biggest casualty of this entire episode. About the Author Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a veteran boxing reporter with 15+ years of experience. He has interviewed dozens of world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside at the sport’s most significant events since founding WBN in 2010. Read full bio.

Janibek Alimkhanuly has tested positive for a banned substance before his scheduled middleweight unification bout against Erislandy Lara on Saturday. The World Boxing Organisation (WBO) says it has been informed of the Kazakh fighter's failed test by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (Vada) and an internal investigation is under way. Alimkhanuly, who holds the IBF and WBO titles, has been pulled from the bout against WBA champion Lara and replaced by Venezuela's Johan Gonzalez, according to American media.

The fight for the middleweight titles is now in jeopardy and does not look like what may happen with it at the moment after this. Janibek Alimkhanuly's fight with Esislandy Lara has now fallen through it has been confirmed. He's off the bill this weekend and Lara faces another opponent, Johan Gonzalez, just for Lara's world title at 160 pounds.

Janibek Alimkhanuly has tested positive for a banned substance before his scheduled middleweight unification bout against Erislandy Lara on Saturday.

Janibek Alimkhanuly has tested positive for a banned substance before his scheduled middleweight unification bout against Erislandy Lara on Saturday.

Janibek Alimkhanuly has tested positive for a banned substance before his scheduled middleweight unification bout against Erislandy Lara on Saturday.

YouTube video by BOX TIME

Janibek Alimkhanuly no podrá unificar sus dos títulos este sábado ante el también titular Erislandy Lara tras fallar una prueba de dopaje

Janibek Alimkhanuly has reportedly tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug in a VADA test.

Lara will remain on Saturday's Pitbull-Roach card, defend vs. Gonzalez

On Tuesday afternoon, news broke from Ring’s Mike Coppinger that unified middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly (17-0, 12 KOs) will not face WBA champion Erislandy Lara (31-3-3, 19 KOs) on Saturday night in San Antonio, TX, due to an adverse analytical finding (meldonium) in his recent VADA test. This is surprising but also disappointing since Janibek’s fight against Lara was highly anticipated. Veteran journalist Dan Rafael followed up Coppinger’s report by sharing a copy of the letter sent to all parties involved in the fight. Janibek quickly jumped on X, reacting to the report of the VADA test.

Erislandy Lara will defend his WBA middleweight title against replacement opponent Johan Gonzalez in the co-feature this Saturday night, December 6th, at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. Lara's scheduled opponent, IBF and WBO middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhnuly, tested positive for a PED. That made it necessary to pull him from the card. Gonzalez Steps In Late boxing insider, …

Erislandy Lara will defend his WBA middleweight title against replacement opponent Johan Gonzalez in the co-feature this Saturday night, December 6th, at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. Lara’s scheduled opponent, IBF and WBO middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhnuly, tested positive for a PED. That made it necessary to pull him from the card. Gonzalez Steps In Late Boxing insider, Dan Rafael, revealed the news of the 34-year-old Venezuelan native, Johan Gonzalez (36-4, 34 KOs), being the replacement opponent for Lara. Johan has lost two out of his last five fights since 2024, suffering knockouts to junior middleweight Yoenis Tellez and Jesus Ramos Jr.

El campeón cubano Erislandy Lara podría defender su título de la AMB ante un rival de reemplazo tras el hallazgo adverso del kazajo Janibek Alimkhanuly en un test de VADA.

IBF and WBO middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhnuly has tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance ahead of a three-belt unification fight against WBA champion Erislandy Lara this Saturday. Lara Fight on the Brink With the positive test by the 32-year-old Janibek (17-0, 12 KOs), his fight against Lara (31-3-3, 19 KOs) is on shaky ground and could be canceled. The two were scheduled to fight in the co-feature slot on the Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz vs. Lamont Roach card on Amazon Prime Video PPV at the Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas.

Heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has been watching middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly of Kazakhstan get ready for Cuban champion Erislandy Lara. They fight this weekend in a huge middleweight unification fight. Usyk is obviously good friends with the man from Kazakhstan as in sparring this week from footage you can tell he is very serious about the punches he's telling him to use in the fight this weekend with the dangerous Cuban.